Saint Louis Man Rescues Neighbors From Burning Apartment

ST. LOUIS, MO — The St. Louis Fire Department says Monserrat Rodriguez, a civilian, saved lives Tuesday night when he pulled two neighbors from a burning apartment building.

The fire started around 7 p.m. on the 1100 block of Hodiamont Avenue in the West End neighborhood, north of Gwen B. Giles Park.

Using his bare hand, Rodriguez broke the glass of a ground-floor apartment to rescue two women trapped there, the Post-Dispatch reports.

"The first woman, I pulled her out right away," Rodriguez told the paper. "She started crying. She said her girlfriend was taking a shower."

Despite being forced back by smoke and flames, Rodriguez managed to lift both women to safety, likely saving their lives, fire officials said. One woman was taken to the hospital where she was treated for smoke inhalation. Investigators are still looking into what caused the fire.

Initially reported as persons trapped; a civilian credited with pulling both occupants to safety prior to our arrival. One occupant transported in serious but stable condition. #STLCity https://t.co/8pMDuKMDgT
— St. Louis Fire Dept (@STLFireDept) May 9, 2018

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